Hungary to send diplomats to Iraq to probe death of worker (at US hands)

[Barrett808]

BUDAPEST (AFP) - Hungary will send two "high-ranking" diplomats to Iraq (news - web sites) to probe the death of a Hungarian who was killed by US soldiers last week, the foreign ministry said.

"The high-ranking diplomats will leave immediately to the Iraqi capital," ministry spokesman Tamas Toth told AFP. "We will try to mount our own investigation in the case."

Toth said Hungary asked the US embassy officials in Budapest to help with the investigation into the death Peter Varga-Balazs, who has been the only Hungarian casualty so far in Iraq.

Varga-Balazs, 27, was a volunteer carrying out humanitarian work in Iraq and was shot dead last Monday as he was trying to cross a US checkpoint, 130 kilometers (80 miles) west of Baghdad in his car.

According to US authorities, Varga-Balazs failed to slow down after repeated warnings from US soldiers, and they opened fire.

The Hungarian chapter of Amnesty International on Monday called for an independent investigation into Varga-Balazs' death.

"We find the US report on the incident insufficient," Mark Fodor, local director of AI, was quoted as saying by MTI state run news agency.

(more)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20031124/wl_mideast_afp/hungary_iraq_death

[DulceDecorum]

1. And things were looking so well

07 September 2003
The terrorist attack that ripped through Baghdad’s police headquarters last week has wonderfully focused American minds. In a far-reaching move, Pentagon planners intend to train 28,000 Iraqi police recruits, and teach them the rudiments of democratic policing at an isolated Hungarian air base at Taszar, 125 miles south-west of the capital Budapest. But the bold US scheme, set to resolve the chaotic security situation in Iraq within 18 months, has run into difficulties in Hungary. Budapest is not playing ball.
<snip>
Istvan Simicsko, the national security spokesman of the right-of-centre Fidesz opposition party, strongly objected to the secret US plan saying that “the training of Iraqi policemen at the Taszar base would pose grave security risks for the country”. He also took exception to the fact that his party had learned of America’s Taszar plan from a series of leaks.
Karoly Szita, the mayor of Kaposvar, situated close to Taszar, has come out strongly against the training of any Iraqis in Somogy county. Local officials at Taszar have also voiced the community’s objection “to this second Iraqi invasion”.
Earlier this year, well before the allied invasion of Iraq, American special forces trained hundreds of Iraqi dissidents at the sprawling Taszar base in guerrilla warfare, battlefield guide roles, interpreter duties and the finer points of military administration in the post - Saddam period.
http://www.sundayherald.com/36545

Oh well, time to send in a relative......

September 12, 2003
WASHINGTON, D.C. - On September 10, five leaders of the Hungarian American Coalition met at the State Department with Ambassador-Designate George Herbert Walker, who has been appointed by President George W. Bush to serve in Hungary.
http://www.hacusa.org/ghw.html

[TrueStory]

2. The True Story

http://hirek.mti.hu/news.asp?newsid=148962&pub=153

Sorry this link is from the Hungarian News Agency in Hungarian language, however I'll try to make a brief translation

Peter Varga-Balazs was working in Iraq for as a subcontractor for Brown&Root - a logistic company for US Army. His brother characterised him: when he came home for Christmas, the first thing was to give blood - just to help people. He went working in Iraq because he thought it's a very good idea to make some money while he's helping people.

The True Story from a security man from the main Hospital in Ramada:

Peter was driving a Kia van from Ramada to Habbanija. In the van there were two ex-officers of the Iraqi army and Peter's translator - Tariq Nadji. In the suburb of Ramada - called al-Haldija there was an accident between a US Army vehicle and a minibus. Peter coundn't stop the van and run into the minibus. The US soldiers almost instantly opened fire on the passangers of the minibus and on the passangers of the Kia van. Peter and the two ex-officers died on site and the translator Tariq Nadji has been wounded.

[DoYouEverWonder]

3. That's the problem

when your idea of peacekeeping is shot first, ask questions later. You end up killing a lot of innocent people.

[TrueStory]

4. Some more details

- Peter has been shot in his back
- the translator, Tarek Nadji disappeared since then

Today the Hungarian consul - in his way to Syria to welcome the two diplomats responsible for the investigation - has suffered a minor accident. Apparently there were no US soldiers around since - according to the latest news - he is alive.

It's interesting - Iraqi people shot by US soldiers at accident scene - this is no news. The only reason this became news because one of the victims was Hungarian citizen.

Even more interesting is that a lot of foreign people died in Iraq, but the only contry to investigate the circumstances of death is Hungary... and Hungary is the only country which belives the US soldiers don't have the right to kill anybody anytime.

[TrueStory]

5. Peter's coffin arrived to Hungary

Peter's death has been caused by shrapnels - according to the autopsy report prepared by US doctors.

There is no expalnation from where the shrapnels came - the previous versions of Peter's death (both official and unofficial) stated that Peter has been shot.